A few weeks ago, Laura and I began watching a television show called Gino’s Italian Escape. The host of this show is named Gino D’Acampo. You may have heard of Gino from his hanging out with Gordon Ramsay on another television show called Gordon, Gino, and Fred: Road Trip. If you haven’t seen either of these shows, I encourage you to take a look at them. They’re lots of fun.
Gino’s an entertaining guy. He’s got lots of energy and he travels quite a bit. He was born near Naples, Italy and now lives in London, England. He’s dedicated his life to food and cooking and from what I can tell, those are his greatest passions. What I like most about him is his attraction to top notch, very local ingredients as well as simplicity as it pertains to dish construction. His recipes aren’t overly complex and the finished dishes look stunning. Stunning enough to act as inspiration for my trying out two for myself. This post’s carbonara dish is my first effort and the second is a Neapolitan ragù that I’ll post next.
Carbonara is a pasta dish that’s made with eggs, hard cheese, cured pork, and black pepper. The dish took its modern form and name in the middle of the 20th century. The called for cheese is usually Pecorino Romano, parmesan, or a combination of the two. It’s a forgiving dish in that substitutions and additions can be made. For instance, if you have no cured pork on hand, feel free to use bacon instead. If you’d like to add garlic and/or sautéed onions, that’s fine. What this dish is typically known for is its creamy egg sauce, so as long as those eggs are present, all else is good.
The Recipe
What attracted me to this recipe was its simplicity. As I watched Gino prepare this dish on his show, of course in some insanely beautiful scene on a cliff in Italy, I told myself, “I can do that!” And guess what – I did. And it came out awesomely. The recipe calls for only a few basic ingredients: olive oil, butter, pancetta or bacon, eggs, cheese, and pasta. As far as Italian dishes go, it doesn’t get much more simple than that. The result is a very tasty spaghetti dish that’ll be remembered for a long time to come.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
5 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Butter
8 Ounces Pancetta or Bacon (Both Diced)
4 Eggs
6 Tablespoons Pecorino Cheese
4 Tablespoons Parsley, Chopped
1 Pound Spaghetti
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
Again, I’d like to thank Gino D’Acampo for this recipe. Gino prepared many excellent dishes during his Italian Escape and, one day, if I become brave enough, I’ll buy a few of his cookbooks so I can try preparing each one myself. Until then, I’ll just make the easiest dishes that I’ve committed to memory from watching the show.
Fry the Pancetta
Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter to the pan and then add the pancetta or bacon. Cook for about eight minutes or until the pancetta has turned golden and crispy.
Whisk the Eggs
In a medium sized bowl, whisk the eggs, parsley, and half the cheese. Add enough black pepper until you’re happy. Set the bowl aside.
Cook the Spaghetti
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add one tablespoon of salt to the water and then add the spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti for about 10 minutes or until al dente. When ready, strain through a colander and then add the spaghetti back to the pot in which it cooked.
Combine Ingredients
Add both the contents of the skillet as well as the egg mixture to the spaghetti pot. Gently mix all of the ingredients together for about 30 seconds. The heat from the spaghetti will cook the eggs just enough so they form a smooth sauce. In the photo below, you’ll see that I added everything to the skillet in which I cooked the bacon. The skillet was large enough, so I decided to combine everything there.
Plate & Serve
Divide the portions between plates and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over each portion as well. Serve and enjoy!
If you’ve enjoyed today’s post and found it helpful, please share it with a friend. Also, if you’d like to continue reading and would like my posts sent directly to your email inbox, simply sign up for my newsletter. I’ll send each and every post directly to you. Thanks!
Leave a Reply